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Overview: OASIS

About OASIS
Finding Aids Integration with HOLLIS
Participating Repositories

About OASIS

OASIS -- the Online Archival Search Information System -- is a union catalog of finding aids created by archival and manuscript repositories at Harvard. Finding aids are detailed descriptions of the contents of archival and manuscript collections, usually including an inventory describing the individual items in the collection and background information that puts the collection in a context. OASIS finding aids are marked up in XML using the Encoded Archival Description (EAD). See a sample finding aid: Alcott family. Papers, 1830-1888: Guide.

More information and links:

Link to the OASIS Catalog
Link to a sample finding aid: Alcott family. Papers, 1830-1888: Guide
OASIS history

Finding Aids Integration with HOLLIS

In late 2009, phase I of a plan to integrate Harvard's EAD finding aids into the library's central discovery system was completed when OASIS finding aids were added to HOLLIS. Finding aid full text is now searchable in HOLLIS and available by a "More about this collection" option in the catalog record. The finding aid view includes "Jump to" navigation to the top-level sections of the finding aid. The Manuscripts and Archives Standing Committee (MASC) is expected to define future phases that will introduce more OASIS-like functionality for finding aids delivered in HOLLIS. There are no current plans to decommision the OASIS system.

More information about finding aids in HOLLIS is available in OASIS documentation.

Participating repositories

Over 20 Harvard repositories have contributed finding aids to OASIS. A list of contributors is available on the OASIS home page and a list of repository contacts is available on the OASIS Liaisons page.

Any Harvard repository can contribute finding aids to OASIS. Interested parties should review participation procedures and contact the OASIS Working Group.